The present invention relates to the registration of applications on user terminals, in particular relating to the registration and selection of services for processing data objects, to provide a collaborative framework for interaction between applications.
Methods and apparatuses are known that provide functions for initiating processing or handling of data objects by executable programs or applications via a user terminal. Such data objects may include emails, documents, calendar entries, contacts entries or files. Typically an application may first be launched, and a particular data object for processing by that application is subsequently chosen from a list of compatible data objects displayed within the application. In an alternative known technique, a data object may first be chosen, after which a particular application may be selected from a list of compatible applications, in response to which the application is launched for processing the given data object.
Once an application has been launched for the processing of a particular data object, the application may offer one or more options for processing of that data object for selection by the user. For example a media application processing an audio file may offer options for playing the audio file, adding the audio file to a playlist, editing the audio file, setting the audio file as a notification alert (such as a “ringtone”). A number of further selections may also be required to define sub options for each of the previously presented options.
This series of interactions required to initiate the processing of a given data object by a given application according to one or more processing options may present an undesirably long or taxing experience for a user of that user terminal, particularly if the input/output options available of interaction with the device are limited. Hence, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a collaborative framework for interaction between applications, and to facilitate the selection of options for processing of data objects on a user terminal.